1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to article storage containers, and specifically, for article storage containers for use in vehicle storage compartments.
2. Description of the Art
Trunks, storage compartments and beds of vehicles, trucks, vans, etc., are designed with a large open area between the surrounding vehicle body structure and the underlying floor to receive various articles or cargo therein. Oftentimes, small articles, such as grocery bags, bottles, and loose articles not in bags or boxes are placed in a vehicle trunk or storage compartment. Such small articles are susceptible to movement during operation of the vehicle which can result in noise and damage to the articles and/or the vehicle.
In an effort to overcome this problem, netting has been secured to the rear wall panel of vehicle trunks and supported via elastic straps to provide an expandable compartment for receiving such small items, such as grocery bags, bottles, etc. However, the netting extends openly across the width of the trunk and is not capable of preventing movement of such articles laterally across the width of the trunk. Such netting is also expandable by only a small distance so as to be able to receive a limited number of articles therein.
Fixed article containers have also been designed for use in vehicle trunks or storage compartments. Such containers are typically provided with a fixed overall dimension or size and include a number of individual compartments therein. Certain of these containers are provided with removable dividers so as to enable the individual storage compartments to be adjusted in size to receive various sized articles. Such article containers have also been provided in a foldable or collapsible form so as to be able to collapsed to a small volume, non-use position. Generally, however, such fixed article containers have a predetermined outer peripheral size, even if the individual storage compartments are adjustable by means of movable dividers. As such, such fixed size containers consume a majority of the space available in a vehicle trunk or storage area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,580 to Khoury discloses a vehicle cargo storage organizer formed of a plurality of first and second sized wall panels which are interconnectible in various arrangements to form individual storage compartments therebetween for storing articles. Each of the first and second sets of wall panels is provided with slots arranged alternately and oppositely in a spaced-apart manner along the length and opposite side edges of each wall panel. Any two wall panels may be interconnected to each other by sliding adjoining slots of the two wall panels together when the wall panels are arranged in a perpendicular orientation with respect to each other. Elastic cords with resilient bulb ends may be attached between ports formed on each of the wall panels to connect two of the wall panels together.
While the Khoury vehicle cargo storage organizer may be reconfigured to provide individual article storage compartments of a predetermined size and in a predetermined number to suit the needs of a user or to fit within a particular size vehicle storage compartment, such an organizer is provided with two different sized wall panels. This increases the overall cost of such a vehicle cargo storage organizer as a number of different parts must be manufactured for the organizer. In addition, assembly of the cargo storage organizer is more complicated since thought and time must be expended by a user to determine exactly where each of the different wall panels can be optimally positioned.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an article storage container for vehicles which may be easily reconfigurable in overall size and shape and with the desired number and size of individual storage compartments formed therein. It would also be desirable to provide an article storage container which may be reconfigurable into different arrangements and number and size of individual storage compartments while using only a number of identical, single size panels. Finally, it would be desirable to provide an article storage container using a number of identically shaped panels which can be interconnected end-to-end to increase the overall length or width of the article storage container as well as being interconnectible at top and bottom edges to increase the overall height of the container or certain compartments of the container.